More than half of first-time mothers are in their 30s

Irish first-time mothers are older than the European average and are having more children than mothers in many parts of the EU, figures released by Eurostat to mark International Day of Families reveal.

Ireland also has a lower teen pregnancy rate than the European average (4.7% in comparison to the EU average of 5.4%), a rate that last year fell to its lowest in 50 years, according to the CSO.

Ireland does, however, have a higher than average proportion of women in their 40s giving birth for the first time (3.4% versus the EU average of 2.8%) — an age group that has a higher rate of complications in pregnancy and childbirth.